Uneasy Dawn
by Inukomu334
Summary: Merleawe is Master Wizard, and it seems that everything is going well. However, there are still many unresolved issues, and Viegald is still in grave danger. Worse, only Merleawe, Yue, and Lenolora seem to notice this... Yue X Lenolora
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Magical X Miracle

Note: Not related to my other fic, I'm trying to write a fic that is as logical, plausible, and nonviolent as possible. This is my best shot at it. I hope you enjoy.

"You're looking pretty gloomy." Vaith remarked, taking a seat next to Yue in the conference room. Yue didn't look up, and was intently staring at a stack of papers in front of him. Vaith peeked over his shoulder to try to read them, wondering if they were the reason Yue seemed so depressed. But, as far as Vaith could tell, they were just a stack of research reports. However, Yue noticed Vaith's attempt to spy on him, and spun around and glared at him. Vaith held his hands up in the air, knowing Yue wouldn't actually hurt him - well, he was _fairly_ sure Yue wouldn't hurt him - but the gesture was automatic.

"Are you surprised?" Yue asked, and Vaith nodded. "Then you're an idiot."

"Hey!" Vaith protested indignantly. "I just don't happen to see any reason for you to be so gloomy! I mean, the threat of war is all but gone, we have Mel as our Master Wizard, everything's at peace, right?" Vaith asked, but then realized a possible explanation for why Yue had been so quiet and irritable the previous few days. "Oh. Are you upset you're no longer the Magical Department's top dog?"

"Not particularly." Yue said, turning around again so he was once more facing that stack of papers. "I wasn't entirely comfortable handling all that authority, anyways. True, I was doubtful for a while if Merleawe truly had the talent needed to hold the position, but she's already accomplished much in her few weeks in office."

"Okay, so why have you been so gloomy? I'm not the only one concerned here; Glenn and Mel have been worried that you're shutting yourself off from the world."

"Then they both care too much about things that aren't their business. I can take care of myself." Yue said, then added under his breath, "At least _you_ actually bother to tell me _in person_ when you think something's amiss, even if you take your time in bringing it to my attention." He grumbled. "Anyways, Merleawe ought to know at least some of what's bothering me; she mentioned it herself just before her appointment. We aren't _at peace_, per se. Officially, we are, but, as Merleawe said, the king of Caldia is just trying to test us. I'd imagine he's trying to see if we listen to his suggestions after a few empty threats, rather than him having to forcibly take control of our country. But he's a bizarre man. I can't follow whatever irrational "logic" he uses to make his decisions; all I can do is follow the repercussions of his decisions and possible outcomes of possible future decisions. It's entirely possible he has all but placed Merleawe as our effective head just to give our nation a sense of unity, to make a war more _entertaining_ for him by giving us a sporting chance."

"Uh... but... hey! Yue, that's not nice! You seem to be implying that our military's a pushover! Can't you have a little bit of faith in me! We worked our asses off, trying to improve our nation's defenses, and now you're saying we'd have been squashed like a bug if we fought Caldia!"

"Keep your voice down, you fool!" Yue snapped, and Vaith scowled at him. "Do you want the entire palace to hear us?"

"Well, you're a wizard. Can't you cast a kekkai or something?"

"Protection magic isn't my specialty. I mainly deal in curses and elemental magic. You know this, Vaith." Yue pointed out.

"Okay, fine. But why are you bothering to tell me all this? I mean, you don't usually let anyone know what's on your mind."

"You're the Commander-in-Chief, Vaith. You really ought to know this information, and you don't seem eager to go about learning it on your own."

"Wait, what? I'm the Commander-in-Chief? I thought I turned down your offer." Vaith asked, and Yue sighed irritably, clenching his hands into fists, and inadvertently crumpling up the paper he held. Vaith winced.

"Vaith, can you remember _anything_! _Merleawe_ instated you as Commander-in-Chief the instant she returned from informing her family of her appointment!" _And Yue thought I was being too loud? Sheesh..._ Vaith thought.

"Uh... oh. You're right." Vaith said, remembering now. "Oh, and you're also upset because of General Lenolora, right?"

"Vaith, I really do not want to talk about that right now." Yue snapped, uncrumpling the paper, and looking out the window, but Vaith couldn't help noticing a slight blush on his face, and fought successfully to keep from laughing. "Anyways... just remember to be more cautious. I shouldn't have spent all this time talking to you; I'm getting behind in my work. Now, please. Leave me alone."

Note: Okay, so we have round one of Yue's worries out there. Next, I think I'll put Merleawe on the stage to discuss her problems. And this time, I'll try not to make as many errors with her characterization as I did in my previous fic, since I've had months to practice writing as her.

Also, I apologize for there not being any action. Don't worry, there will be action once I've finished setting everything up and establishing the characters' mindsets. In addition, on a similar vein, once the action starts, this fic will cease being a featureless flat plane of dialogue and I will add descriptions of settings, characters' appearances, etc., as they appear.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own Magical X Miracle

Note: All right, here's Merleawe's POV on the whole shenanigan...

Merleawe sighed, looking around the conference room. She had just gotten out of a ridiculously pretentious and overly formal meeting with Minister Diplomas, and was emotionally exhausted. At least her friends were there... Vaith and Fern were enjoying some light banter, Yue was hunched over a stack of paperwork, and Glenn was arranging cookies on a platter, which Merleawe didn't doubt he would soon pass around the room.

Still, Merleawe couldn't help but notice that Fern kept stealing glances at her. She knew what was on his mind; he was eager to become her body double, but she was conflicted about the whole thing and had decided to postpone the ceremony. Oh, she had nothing against Fern; he was one of her closest friends; but she didn't like the idea of Fern being forced to sacrifice himself for her if she ever found herself in danger. Besides, she had already broken precedent by becoming the first female Master Wizard in Viegald's history; why couldn't she break precedent again and become the first Master Wizard without a body double?

That had, at least in part, been the subject of her meeting with Diplomas. He had urged her to comply with tradition; to not cause such a stir. Merleawe thought that was illogical. Very, very few people knew of the body double tradition, anyways, so she doubted it would create a stir outside the Council doors. Beyond that, she had the support of the people, and, even if she didn't, all she needed was one person believing in her to keep persuing her dreams, so why bother? She knew right from wrong, and the body double tradition echoed in her gut as decidedly wrong.

Of course, that hadn't been all Diplomas had discussed in the meeting. He had told her that he would not voice his opinions about her in the Council chamber, since both the King of Viegald and Yue were there, and both seemed to have taken a liking to her, but he, himself was more uncertain of where her leadership would bring them. Merleawe could have understood his reservations if the grounds for them had been her young age and relative inexperience, but instead he had chosen her two faults to be her gender and the lack of historical prestige of her family. She had been frustrated, and her emotional exhaustion had stemmed from her attempts to keep her temper in check.

Oh, she knew she was going to have to deal with plenty of people with attitudes like that. Viegald was but one king and one Master Wizard short of an oligarchy; even then, most of the power in the land was still held by noblemen, as could be seen by the representation in the Council, and how, aside from having two votes instead of one and serving as the moderator, the king was not so far removed from those he trusted to manage the kingdom as one would expect in a monarchy.

On the subject of the Council, Merleawe wondered how they ever got anything done. More often than not, they seemed to spend their time bickering about trivial issues, and, whenever anything important was brought up, Yue and Agros would take exactly opposite views on the issue and proceed to spend the remainder of the meeting silently glaring at each other across the table. During those times, since it seemed that Yue and Agros were the only ministers who actually seemed to care about doing anything productive rather than sit around looking proud, the king would have to make any progress he wanted on his own, though now Merleawe chimed in with her suggestions as well. So, Merleawe supposed, the king truly did hold great power over the nation.

Note: I apologize for the abrupt ending; I just couldn't think of any way to wrap this chapter up effectively. Anyhow, I think I'll go back to Yue's worries for the next chapter, this time sans Vaith so I can show a detailed, coherent train of thought, rather than the disjointed, distracted manifestation of thought that is a conversation.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I do not own Magical X Miracle

Note: Right, here's Yue again...

The small clock on Yue's desk made a satisfying click as the hour hand settled definitively into the position for 2 AM, prompting Yue to look over at it groggily, before returning his attention to the four reams of documents on his desk. He was surprised his desk hadn't collapsed. He normally would have left his office and gone to bed around midnight, but ever since Merleawe had been appointed, he had been working as long and hard as he could possibly handle.

It had nothing to do with Merleawe, herself, or any perceived fault of hers; rather, he had been working hard to show his dedication to his country, which he didn't doubt had become a matter of some speculation. But then, no matter how long or how hard or how diligently he worked, there would still be rumours, all thanks to what General Lenolora had been mindless enough to say to him.

"I hate that woman..." Yue grumbled under his breath, but even as he said it, he knew it wasn't true. He didn't hate _Lenolora;_ rather, he hated how she was, without exception, a harbringer of bad news, always making his life that much more complicated.

Even when they were in school, she had been making his life more complicated. Even as a child, Yue had cared much more about work than about making friends and interacting with others, whom he deemed hateful, prejudiced, and vain. Of course, the animosity between him and his family had probably done little to improve his opinion of humanity. And then Lenolora had decided that she was going to befriend him, no matter how much he had tried to push her away.

Oh, he had liked her as a friend, once he had gotten over his initial doubts about her. It was nice having someone to talk to, someone to debate with, without the debate turning into a personal attack. Well, some debates had turned into personal attacks, but it was all in jest; just banter. Still, much as he liked her, she could be very annoying. Popping up where he least expected, constantly distracting him when he was _trying_ to study... which was why he had convinced her to quit. After all, that had been before Slythfarn had showed him that people really could care about one another; Yue had still been suspicious of Lenolora.

And that suspicion had continued. Yue had too many questions, and not enough answers, when it came to dealing with Lenolora. When had her feelings of friendship progressed into love? Or had, as he suspected, she stopped caring about him altogether and was simply bluffing to set him off guard? She had said she had wanted to see him panicked, didn't she? Well, she had gotten her wish, hadn't she? She was a cunning woman, just as cunning as Yue himself, and she had even managed to outwit him once or twice in the past. He didn't put such a deception past her.

As suspicious as Yue was of Lenolora, he knew that the rest of the palace was just as suspicious of him. Would he betray the country for her? _Had_ he already betrayed the country for her? Were the two of them working in cahoots to undermine the security of the nation? There was no way they weren't involved; both thirty-three and unmarried, having been friends all their lives... Was Lenolora merely toying with him, using him as a puppet to do her work in Viegald? Was _Yue_ merely toying with _her,_ using her as a puppet to do his work in Caldia? Yue resented the gossip, and was trying to prove a point that he _wasn't_ working in cahoots with Lenolora; they only saw each other every few years or so, anyways. He cared much more about Viegald's well-being than he cared about Lenolora. But no one seemed to realize that, and, unless he had been officially accused of treason, if Yue went about publicly explaining that he was not involved in any plot against the nation, people would assume he was hiding something.

Worrying about Lenolora inevitably led to worrying about the King of Caldia. Yue had already expressed his concerns to Vaith... well, most of them. He hadn't explained to Vaith that, since he knew of how cunning Lenolora was, he assumed that, if he had figured something out, she probably had, too. She knew her king was just toying with Viegald, she knew Viegald wouldn't stand a chance against the full force of Caldia's military. Yes, Viegald had Vaith, a brilliant and charismatic commander, but Caldia had Lenolora, who was not only a brilliant commander, but a shrewd tactician as well. To match Lenolora's ability to command, Yue knew he would have to either back Vaith up himself, or send someone else to do so in his stead. Vaith was brilliant and kept a cool head in times of crisis, it was true, but when it came to long-term strategy and planning, his skills left much lacking. Besides... war was still a definite possibility, although Yue doubted the King of Caldia would attack within the first few months of Merleawe's time in office; if indeed he wanted to give Viegald a sporting chance, he would first want to give them false hope.

In focusing on all the possible negative outcomes of his situation, Yue almost completely disregarded the positive outcomes. Much as he was loath to admit it, he cared about Lenolora, even to the point of loving her, in a platonic sense, and it looked like she cared even more deeply about him. After all, she had left herself vulnerable by stating her feelings so openly. She was at greater risk of being accused of treason than he was. She wouldn't have told him she loved him, under those circumstances, without a very good reason. A reason more important than exacting some small personal revenge or gaining a bit of negotiational leverage; a reason as important as telling the man she loved her feelings for him at what could have been the last time they saw each other. Yes, there was still a possibility it was a bluff, and undoubtedly she would play it up as a bluff if called before her King for it, but it was much more likely she was genuine. Still, Yue wasn't going to admit the possibility that the two of them really did like each other. And he wasn't going to admit the possibility that, if there was a romantic relationship between them, it would go further to solidifying the peace than almost anything else would, by symbolizing the renewed alliance between Viegald and Caldia.

Note: I think I could end the story right there, on a positive note, but I've already planned out some action and it would be a shame to let such planning go to waste. Since I've finished establishing the situation, next chapter, it's action time!


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I do not own Magical X Miracle

Note: All right, now for action!

Merleawe walked down the hallway, worn-out from the Council meeting, the train of her sapphire-blue gown trailing on the ground behind her. As usual, nothing had been accomplished, in spite of the ferocious arguments. She wished the Ministers of the Council could do more to ensure that there would be lasting peace, but they seemed to have paid no heed to her warning about the King of Caldia's ambitions. Yue probably cared, worrywart that he was, but he hadn't spoken up about anything. Merleawe decided that was probably because he couldn't think of any good ideas. And the King of Viegald undoubtedly understood the situation, but he had not addressed the issue either. Merleawe was a bit frustrated, but she let her anger subside as she watched the courtyard through the windows in the hallway, marvelling at the flowers just beginning to bloom. The inside of the palace, with its paintings, rich carpets, elaborate stonework and carvings, which seemed so luxurious in winter, now paled in comparison with the beauty outside.

And then it happened, so fast Merleawe could barely comprehend it. Someone darted out in front of her, preparing a seed of magic to throw at her. Merleawe, feeling threatened, immediately responded with a sleeping spell, and the man - she could see now that he wore the uniform of a guard - fell to the floor in a deep slumber, unharmed but incapacitated.

Before she could breathe a sigh of relief, she sensed something behind her, and saw another man, also wearing the uniform of a guard, carrying an enchanted knife that he lunged at her with. She didn't have time to spin and dodge, but, luckily, she didn't have to, as the man's eyes opened wide with shock as he was blown off to the side by yellow wind magic, but not before his knife made contact. Still, the blow was glancing, and Merleawe stepped back to watch the scene unfold.

Yue - for a moment Merleawe wondered why he was there, then remembered they were both leaving the Council chamber and both heading for the Magical Department Wing, so of course they would have taken the same path - was standing in front of the man with the knife, who was tied to the wall by ropes of fire, and Yue also had him by the shirt collar. Merleawe winced in sympathy. Just because that man had tried to kill her didn't mean Yue should have been so rough with him. But Merleawe could see there was no sense talking sense into Yue - he was clearly furious, and Merleawe didn't want to risk redirecting the target of his anger from that man to her.

"You foul leech!" Yue growled, tightening the ropes of fire, and the man whimpered. "Attacking your own beloved Master Wizard! Scum! She is the sole reason our nation still stands, you fool!" Merleawe, thinking of nothing better to do, felt around where the knife had made contact. Her dress was ripped, but the blade had barely nicked her skin. Yue was definitely overreacting if he knew she wasn't hurt. "Tell me everything there is to know about this mutiny, and I just might let you live!"

"I... I..." The man began, still whimpering, before he broke off into crying. Yue sighed irritably, bowing his head, no longer looking so furious, but he did nothing to loosen the ropes.

"What is this world coming to, if such a simpering coward is charged with an assassination mission...?" Yue muttered under his breath, then looked up again. "So tell me. For whom did you attempt to commit this foul act?" But the man was silent. Yue tightened the ropes again, and now Merleawe decided it was time to face him.

"Yue, you needn't hurt him any more." She said, and Yue turned to her, for an instant looking just as furious as he had at first, but his expression settled on a frown. "I know what he did was wrong, but you'll never get any truthful information out of him when he's in that much pain, and it's cruel to keep doing that. So please, stop." She said, and Yue glared at her for a while, and then stepped back, keeping the ropes of fire in place, but slightly looser, as the man gasped for breath.

"You're right." Yue said slowly, now choosing to put the aggressor under a sleeping spell, similar to the one Merleawe had used on his companion. Once Yue seemed sure he was asleep, he undid the ropes of fire, and Merleawe nodded approvingly. "Forgive me. I... I was too upset to think clearly." He murmured, shaking his head. He still sounded angry, but Merleawe knew he wouldn't hurt anyone now. "I suppose I'll interrogate these men later." He said, then scowled as something drew his attention. Merleawe stepped out of the way as Yue stalked over to where the first man had fallen, and knelt down on the deep purple carpet, then picked up something off the floor.

Because he held whatever it was tightly in his hand, Merleawe couldn't see what it was as he examined it critically. Meanwhile, Merleawe walked over to where the second man lay, wondering about the enchanted knife. She wasn't particularly worried about any curse or enchantment on it, since it had barely nicked her, but she was curious as to its function and mechanism. She knelt down, and cautiously extended her hand towards it.

"Don't touch it!" Yue snapped, and she looked up to see him standing over her shoulder, looking slightly shaken. "_I_ will take care of it." He withdrew two cloths from his coat pocket, and one he lay on the ground. The other he used to cover his hand as he gingerly picked up the knife by the handle, then he deposited it on the other cloth and carefully folded it up, then put knife and cloths back into his coat. Merleawe noticed that he still looked very upset.

"So.. what-" Merleawe began, but Yue stood up abruptly.

"Come on. Hurry up! We're headed to my office. This is a matter of utmost importance." He snapped, and Merleawe got to her feet, and followed Yue down the hallway, wondering just what could have disturbed him so.

Note: I apologize for the cliffhanger of sorts, but I'll update soon.


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I do not own Magical X Miracle

Note: I think this is turning into Mystery... I should probably change the description

"And _this_ is why you should have just gone along with tradition and accepted Fern as your body double." Yue snapped, not directly addressing Merleawe, but rather venting his frustration. Of course, at the time, so caught up in worrying about the items the two would-be assassins were carrying, he barely noticed she was walking right behind him. He only noticed her presence when a kekkai went up after he had mentioned Fern's name, and silently chastized himself for having let his tongue slip about the body double tradition.

"I was barely scratched. Everything turned out well." Merleawe pointed out, and Yue gritted his teeth, quickening his pace towards his office.

"The physical wound caused by a magical item is in no way proportional to the magical damage it might have done." Yue replied, thinking of the knife. Even wrapped up in an anti-magic cloth and stuffed in his coat pocket, he could still sense the powerful curse upon it. He would need to contact Glenn to keep a close guard on Merleawe as he attempted to discern the type of curse and the possible effects on Merleawe. "Beyond that, what if I hadn't been there! I won't always be around to protect you, Merleawe."

"Regardless, Yue, I'm not about to force another person to sacrifice himself for me. It's _wrong._ Besides... why are you being so adamant about me having a body double? You don't have a body double, do you?" Merleawe challenged, then added silently, _I won't always need you, Yue. I'm getting stronger by myself; someday I'll be able to handle a situation like that alone, without getting others involved._

"_I_ might not have a body double, but, unlike _you,_ I don't walk freely around the hallways completely unprotected. Unlike you, I have my defenses set up. In addition, what need have I for a shadow when I, myself, spend much of my time in the shadows? I am not so well-known as you are, Merleawe. I don't stand out much; I've never done anything as flashy and inspiring as you have. I keep my head down and do my job, nothing more. Few people even so much as notice me. This isn't to say there aren't those who wish me dead, but there are far fewer people after me than there are you. You must be much more careful than I." Yue explained. _And judging by the seal that first man was carrying, you have made powerful enemies._ He thought. "Besides. I know the tradition might not seem fair to you, Merleawe, but it has been common practice for so long that the Hahaze take _pride_ in what they do. It's a grave insult to the Hahaze to refuse a body double. So, even if not for yourself, do this for Fern." Yue told her, and she fell silent for a while, giving Yue more time to think. He didn't doubt there would be a stir when the two guards were found, unconscious, in the hall; however, the real guards would likely notice those two were not their own. Palace guards were trained to be subservient, this was true, but had learned to overcome most of their fears and to endure pain. The man who had held the knife was obviously no guard, judging by his reaction. But how had they obtained the guard uniforms? That was just one more question he didn't have an answer to.

Yue had enough on his mind without this recent development, and he couldn't let anyone else know Merleawe had been attacked; that would spark an outcry, chaos, and panic, the last things the nation needed.

Note: I'm sorry, that was a really short chapter, but these short chapters make it easier for me to update quicker, and that last sentence seemed to wrap things up. Since I'm none to good at endings, I take what I can get.

See you in Chapter 6!


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I do not own Magical X Miracle

Note: Chapter 6, and Yue is not the only one sleep-deprived -_-"

Yue put his head down on his desk, in the middle of an internal debate on whether or not to take a nap. On top of his already busy schedule, in order to complete his investigation on the attack on Merleawe, he had, for the previous three days, been working through that period from 2:30 AM to 5:30 AM, during which time he usually slept. And he was exhausted.

Merleawe had warned him not to go overboard when it came to investigating what had happened, but he had not listened to her. Yue felt it was his duty, even though Merleawe had suffered only a few hours of weakness from the effects of the curse, to find out what was going on and punish those responsible.

Yes, he had found the answers he had wanted; what kind of curse it was, how it might affect Merleawe, how to break it, who had made it, who had hired the assassins, who had clothed them... but his sleep-deprived mind refused to make sense of it all, instead going over the separate pieces of information again and again, not thinking to connect them.

The seal he had found by the first attacker's side showed the crest of the King of Caldia, a gold raven with feathers charred black around the edges, swooping in to kill a mouse. Yue prayed that Viegald was not going to serve as the mouse in question. But, from what he had learned from Vaith's reports of the few spies they had caught at the border several months previous, the King very rarely gave out his seal. Only his favorites were ever allowed to carry it with them.

The curse, thankfully, was one of those that tended to resolve themselves. He had been able to identify it fairly easily; after that embarrassing incident with Fern, Yue had made sure to brush up on self-resolving curses. Still, Merleawe had gotten off lucky; in its full form, the curse manifested as complete loss of control of the voluntary muscles, followed by their slow decay, and, in severe cases, the same pattern would continue with the heart and lungs. It was a very complicated spell, so Yue knew it wouldn't be too hard to track down most of the wizards capable of performing such a spell, and interrogate them when he wasn't so worn-out. Or he could make Lecto do it. Lecto needed practice, anyways, and though Yue didn't plan on dying or retiring any time soon, death was unpredictable, and Lecto was the man he was hoping to train as his successor.

To Yue's frustration, but not to his surprise, the man who had provided the guard uniforms was none other than a certain Minister Agros. Yue had always suspected Agros of being a mole, and he took a certain sadistic pleasure in knowing he was right, in spite of the dangers that posed to the country. Yue would probably have to call Agros up before the Council again... once again, when he wasn't so tired... of course, he would likely face some strong complaints from the other ministers... they liked Agros; they didn't like Yue... but he was right, that was what mattered...

And then, mid-argument, and mid-train-of-thought, Yue fell asleep anyways.

Note: Short chapter again, I'm sorry. Let me gather my thoughts and my plot, so Chapter 7 might be a longer one...


	7. Chapter 7  Caldia

Disclaimer: I do not own Magical X Miracle

Note: I suppose I'll go and show Lenolora's POV for now. This takes place around Chapter 3, but I couldn't have revealed it then because, well, where would the suspense be? Besides, it's called "snail mail" for a reason, and it's even slower when the society in question doesn't have cars, and I want Lenolora's message delivered soon after the end of Chapter 6.

Lenolora irritably blew a loose strand of hair out of her face as she gazed longingly out her window. She hated being cooped up indoors, which was probably why the King of Caldia had chosen that as her punishment.

House arrest for two months. She'd rather have spent those two months living in a bog and eating nothing but tofu. While being chased by rabid bears. While unarmed. While having the stomach flu. That, at least, would have been an adventure, to test her wits and her strength, not just try her patience as her sentence of house arrest was doing.

Oh, she knew she could easily have been executed - she had lied to the king, after all. She had lied when she had said she wanted to cut ties with Yue. She had lied when, called before the king afterwards, she had said it was just a bluff. Well, she wasn't entirely sure the king _knew_ she was lying. It was entirely possible he was just jealous.

Lenolora knew she was lucky to be alive. When the King of Caldia had seized the throne, he had executed almost all of the members of the old guard, to elliminate any chances of his being immediately overthrown. Only two had he left alive; Princess Fia Lukia, to marry to his son, associating him with the old royal family; and Lenolora herself.

At first, Lenolora had wondered why she was left alive. She had vehemently opposed the usurper, and had personally killed several of his supporters when he had tried to take the palace. In all fairness, she should have been executed along with her male colleauges, many of whom had fought just as hard as she had. Beyond that, she was a foreigner to begin with; born in Viegald, raised in Viegald, schooled in Viegald.

But, it had turned out, the king had taken a liking to her, which was why he had spared her. Even though he was already married, he regularly complimented her, flirted with her, and often invited her to social gatherings she would ordinarily have been forbidden from. These things she accepted gratefully, though she took care not to anger the queen. However, the king also tried to present her with jewels, gowns, and other fineries. Lenolora had turned these down; she had no need for such vain adornment. Besides, once more, she did not wish to anger the queen. In addition, the king had encouraged her to be more informal around him and friendlier with him. Lenolora had immediately struck this offer down. She knew that, unless she kept her mask of servitude firmly on, her temper and quick wit would probably get the better of her, and she didn't doubt then that she _would_ have been executed, for being insubordinate.

Still, it seemed the king's passion for her was indeed great if he was actually jealous enough to put her under house arrest for _pretending_ to love someone who was not him. So Lenolora suspected he knew she was lying to him.

But, then, if he knew she was lying to him, why hadn't he opted for a harsher punishment? And also expressly forbidden her from contacting Yue? That man was difficult to understand. He seemed unbound by common logic. Lenolora couldn't understand half the things he did. She supposed that was why he was so successful; he threw all those who tried to analyze his behaviour for a loop.

And, confusing her further, she had received word that he had sent a team of assassins to "test" Merleawe. Hadn't the king taken a liking to her, too? He must have had, to allow her to help the country of Viegald so. Yet now he had sent a team against her? If Merleawe had fallen out of his favor, then what were Lenolora's chances? She felt like a cornered rat, between her confinement to her room and her disheartening revelation. But there had to be something useful she could do...

Well, since she hadn't been forbidden from contacting him, she supposed she could write to Yue, explaining what she knew of the plot. Of course, her letter would be carefully searched for sensitive material, but Lenolora knew that Yue was pretty good with codes, and he would most definitely think to search for hidden messages in any letter he received from her, since they rarely communicated. He would be able to pick up a message... maybe in time to keep Merleawe from whatever harm the King of Caldia intended for her.

Note: Well, yet another short chapter, but I take what I can get in terms of endings. I guess I have trouble writing at length when I'm sleep-deprived.

By the way, thank-you, readers who commented.


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: I do not own Magical X Miracle

Note: Here's chapter 8...

"Didn't Merleawe tell you not to overwork yourself?" Glenn asked Yue, who grumbled something that sounded rude in reply, but it was rendered incomprehensible by a pillow. Merleawe didn't understand why Yue was being so rude to Glenn, when Glenn had been the one who had found him all but passed out on the conference room floor, and had taken the trouble to carry him over to the couch and make sure he was comfortable. Merleawe, needless to say, had been worried at first, but she knew that Yue was fine - just worn-out. She, herself, was still feeling a bit worn, but she didn't dare tell either one of her friends - they would only assume it was some lingering effect of the curse and promptly begin fretting over her.

It had been bad enough, with Yue almost literally dragging her to see Glenn as soon as he had noticed that the blade had actually drawn blood. Then, Glenn had promptly put her to bed, called a doctor, and then, making matters worse; Vaith, Fern, and Glenn refused to leave her side for a day after that, insisting on doing everything they could for her. Yes, she had finally convinced Glenn to leave after a few hours, but Fern and Vaith had stayed. She couldn't understand such a large reaction over such a small cut. Yes, she knew there was a possibility of a curse, but unless the curse was exceptionally potent, her small exposure would probably do little more than leave her feeling a bit under the weather for a while.

And since then, Fern had increasingly been asking her - no, _begging_ her - to let him become her body double. But, in spite of what had happened, in spite of Yue's explanation, and in spite of Fern's begging, she still couldn't bring herself to endanger another person for her sake. If she continued refusing, yes, Fern would be humiliated, but if she said yes, Fern might die. Especially since Yue had offhandedly mentioned something about her having powerful enemies now, but at that time he had been more asleep than awake, so she wasn't sure if he really meant it.

She had a gut feeling that somehow, the King of Caldia had been involved, but then, it was probably just a habit. Much of her missionary work had been in assisting those oppressed or injured by that man. She wasn't entirely sure how General Lenolora could stand to work for him. But, then, General Lenolora had her own problems; Merelawe didn't want to weasel her way into her personal life. Besides, she hadn't heard from the general in the five weeks since her appointment.

It was possible - nay, it was likely Yue knew exactly who had planned the entire business, but he probably wasn't going to tell her. He probably thought he was protecting her, but Merleawe needed to know who it was so she could better protect herself against that person.

Making matters even worse, it wasn't just Yue and Fern; Minister Diplomas had, this time, spent an entire hour nagging her to get a body double. She was always uncomfortable around the aged man; she never knew when he was joking or not. It seemed he had taken it upon himself to be her guardian, but his "help" was not appreciated.

The Council meeting hadn't been any better. Minister Diplomas had nagged her then, too, but not as much, since she was _trying_ to direct the ministers' attention to the latest piece of distressing news - Vaith, who had recently left to help supervise the training of one of the frontier units, had sent back information detailing the positions of all of Caldia's troops within two hundred meters of the border, and there were a lot of them.

But, of course, the Council, with the exception of the king, had decided that, since Caldia had armed the border before and nothing bad had come of it, there was no cause for concern. Merleawe honestly wondered how the country functioned.

"They're a bunch of idiots...!" Merleawe couldn't help muttering under her breath.

"The Council?" Yue asked groggily, picking his head up off the pillows. Merleawe took a step back. _He can't read my mind, can he? No, of course he can't! But how...? Oh. He's been dealing with the Council longer than I have, and he's probably come to the same conclusion._ Merleawe nodded. "They are always stupid when they feel they are not in grave danger. When peril comes knocking on their doorsteps, however, they tend to shape up a bit. They're simply too deeply involved in their own personal projects to care much about the wellfare of the nation, unless it seems to directly threaten them. Just try not to worry about it too much. They complain when I take action by myself without their permission, but it's the only way to get things done. You might find some success in doing the same." _Well, yes, but I don't have any miraculous solutions this time... and I can't _think_ of any until Yue tells me the results of his investigation!_

Note: Okay, it looks like things are getting darker. I think I've weaved a fine mess for myself by trying to follow things out to their logical conclusions, so it will probably take me a while to come up with decent solutions to these problems, let alone write them in. So I don't think I can add several chapters per day like I have been doing, unless the chapters consist of more angst and no solutions.


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: I do not own Magical X Miracle

Note: Chapter 9, and I'm slowly chipping away at a solution...

"Do you have any ideas?" Yue asked Merleawe, as they sat in the conference room, with Glenn still there. To keep up with the pressures of their jobs, both Yue and Merleawe were slowly chipping away at separate stacks of documents. Vaith was still at the border, and Fern... Fern had been sulking in his room. Merleawe and Glenn were both concerned about him, and Merleawe felt a little bit guilty, since she knew it was probably her refusals that had upset him. Yue, on the other hand, didn't even seem to notice that Fern wasn't there.

"Huh? Oh. Ideas for what?" Merleawe asked. "Ah, please forgive me... I was lost in thought." She added, after Yue gave her a skeptical look.

"What are we going to do about Caldia?"

"Ah... I'm not entirely sure. Do you have any ideas?" Merleawe asked, and Yue looked out the window, not meeting her eyes.

"A tension-filled stalemate can drag on for decades without progressing into full-scale war. I was thinking it would be best to simply not let the tension bother us, and, aside from being cautious in our negotiations with Caldia, focus more on issues inside our own borders." Yue said, and Merleawe bit back what she desparately wanted to say. _You're starting to sound like the rest of the Council, Yue... have you given up hope?_ "Or, at least, that is what I would suggest under any other circumstances. But because of one particular danger, a threat from Caldia _within_ our own borders, I believe we must deal with the mole first. That may or may not lead us into war; calling out a spy can be risky; but at least it will break up this absurd deadlock, one way or the other."

"I'm afraid I don't have the same information you do, Yue. If I did, perhaps I could come up with a less risky possible solution." Merleawe said, but Yue looked hesitant. "Yue, I know you feel like you're protecting me by witholding this information from me, but I need to know what is going on, in its entirety, so I may better protect myself and the nation."

"I'm still reluctant to tell you," Yue responded, "But I suppose you're right. Fine. Minister Agros has been working for the King of Caldia... I know not for how long, but it would make sense if he has been working for the King since the King took power; that would align neatly with the dates when Agros began taking measures against Vaith, knowing him to be the source of our country's martial strength. It was Agros who allowed and made concessions for those two would-be assassins to enter the palace as guards, under orders from the King of Caldia." Merleawe nodded firmly, and Yue cracked a rare half-smile. "Interesting. You've certainly grown up, Merleawe. A few years ago you would have been panicking at such a revelation."

"I understand. And thank-you." Merleawe said. "But how credible is the source of this information, Yue?" She added, asking because she wasn't sure if Yue was allowing his personal dislike of Agros to color his reasoning.

"I have this information from three separate sources." Yue said. "The 'guards' themselves, a go-between the 'guards' clued me in on, and General Lenolora, all tell the same story, with only a few minor inconsistencies."

"But the inconsistencies...?"

"Seem to be of the degree caused by normal memories adjusting themselves to the source's opinions. If there were no inconsistencies, I would have to assume it was a ploy to frame Agros."

"And, even if it were a ploy, would you continue to hold the same beliefs you do now?" Merleawe asked, before she could stop herself. Yue glared at her.

"I do my best to avoid bias in my reasoning, Merleawe. True, I would be inclined to believe Agros was guilty, even if there were some evidence suggesting his innocence, but I would be aware of said bias and compensate for it." Yue said slowly, then scowled at the papers on his desk. Merleawe guessed what he was thinking. He, too, felt a bit frustrated that, in addition to their normal jobs, they had to serve almost as a detective agency. But, then, that was what the Magical Department and its representatives were supposed to do, whenever a case involved something magical and the local law enforcement didn't want to handle it. And since, in spite of Merleawe's efforts, the law enforcement and the courts in Viegald's capitol were hopelessly corrupted by the interests of wealthy nobles... Once again, Merleawe wondered how the country functioned. But if Yue had received information from General Lenolora... he had ties to Caldia, too. Even though she was a bit suspicious, Merleawe knew that Yue wouldn't betray Viegald... but his rapport with Caldia's female general would surely cause him great trouble someday.

"Yue... about General Lenolora..." Merleawe began, unsure of how to break the subject.

"I didn't ask her; she contacted me. I probably shouldn't tell you this, but she's been under house arrest and tight security, so she had to send me the message through code. It wasn't hard, deciphering it, but if I did, it's possible whomever is going through her mail did, too." Yue said, then added under his breath, "I worry about that woman sometimes..." And then, noticing that Merleawe was looking at him, as if waiting for him to say more, he promptly looked away, his expression telling Merleawe that he wasn't going to say anything more on the subject.

Note: Finally, a relatively long chapter! Still, I'm afraid I'm all written out for today. Maybe there'll be a new chapter tomorrow, though.


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: I do not own Magical X Miracle

Note: In order to resolve this, I'm going to have to make some unlikely things happen. But, hey, it's fiction. Unlikely things _drive_ fiction. After all, who would read a story about a man going to a boring job, going home, and eating a sandwich? That's likely, but that's _boring. _Unless it was very well-written, no one would read it. Besides, I'm staying in-character and adhering to the rules of the Magical X Miracle universe the best I can, so please bear with me.

Lenolora silently chided herself for having been so reckless, as she paced back and forth in her bedroom. Upon hearing of the plot against Merleawe, she had panicked and acted hastily. Yes, she had put her message in code, and it was a decent code, too, but the _timing!_ Just one letter to Yue, just when there was danger to someone they both cared about... of course people would be suspicious. She knew the king was turning a blind eye to it, or possibly chalking it up to a coincidence. Whichever way, one coded letter wouldn't be enough to send her to the gallows, not while she held the king's favor.

She chided herself some more for not noticing it until it was going to become a _real_ problem... because she was going to have to send another letter to Yue, once again, just when someone they both cared about was in danger again. Well, Lenolora _assumed_ Yue cared about himself. But then, one never knew with wizards. They were a strange lot. But two letters, only to Yue, only when someone was in danger? Two? That was unlikely to be a coincidence.

So, yes, Lenolora knew she had dug herself pretty deep. But, in her mind, sending or not sending a letter equated to; would she probably die, or would Yue probably die? It wasn't definite either way. Even if caught, there was a chance the king would pardon her. And even if Yue wasn't warned of the team of assassins sent against _him_, he was a cautious man to begin with, and a formidable fighter. But, Lenolora reminded herself, Yue was all but helpless in a fight without his magic. Just one magic-inhibiting barrier and he would already have all but lost. Which was why she often nagged him to get in better shape. She didn't want him dying if he lost the ability to use magic. Well, he was also fun to tease, but... Anyways, magic-inhibiting barriers were difficult to cast, but she didn't doubt the king had a wizard at his disposal who was capable of such a feat. After all, his men had managed the cursed knife, hadn't they?

Lenolora had been worried if her first letter had arrived in time, but she had received word that Merleawe was alive and well. There had been no mention of any attack, but she _had_ missed a ceremony because of a "minor illness." Lenolora sighed. Didn't the people in charge of public relations for Viegald's palace and staff notice that, every time they said someone was away because of an unspecified illness, that person had either been injured or killed? Viegald was such a disorganized place. Their land was teeming with brilliant scholars and wizards, but, judging by the government, said scholars and wizards either chose not to participate in or knew nothing about politics. But, then, Viegald also had a strong and fair king, who worked very hard for his country, and it was probably almost singlehandedly he who kept the land in relative order.

But all those years of hard work had taken a toll on him. At sixty-one, he already appeared to be in his mid- to late seventies. His health seemed good for his apparent age, but Lenolora knew it wouldn't be long - fifteen years, at most - before he either died or became too unwell to rule as he could before. In the back of her mind, Lenolora wondered if Yue was also working himself to an early grave, but reminded herself that, although decidedly not strong, Yue had seemed none the worse for wear between when she saw him at twenty-seven and when she saw him at thirty-three. So Yue could take the strain. But then she also worried about Merleawe. Even though Merleawe was a good thirteen years younger than she was, she knew that the stress from overwork could sap or kill even those just leaving the bloom of youth. She had seen it happen to her own older brother. But she didn't want to remember that.

Anyways, not only was Viegald's king aging, but his only heir was his fourteen-year-old, unmarried granddaughter. In the fifteen years or so it might take for the king to die, she probably would have found herself a decent husband, but what if she hadn't? She had had her heart broken at an early age; losing Slythfarn must have been horrible for her. What if she chose not to marry? Lenolora knew she had grown up into a competent, graceful, intelligent, and strong young woman, not the naive, selfish girl she had been before. But though Princess Seraphia would be capable of ruling in her grandfather's stead, the monarch was even more important thant the Master Wizard in maintaining Viegald's unity.

Besides, Viegald was a patriarchal kingdom. That was part of the reason Lenolora had moved to Caldia. Yes, her explanation to Yue of why she had moved was true, she really did care about him so much it was hard to function around him, but he was only part of her decision. She had always had a desire to become a warrior, whether in the military or on her own. But, in Viegald, it was believed women couldn't handle much more authority than, say, owning a home, or running a small business. Women, partly for this reason, weren't allowed in the military. Caldia had had no such stigma, and so Lenolora had moved there. She had admired Merleawe's strength for assuming a position of power in such a country of Viegald, true, but while it had caused some stir for a woman to become Master Wizard, Merleawe was obviously qualified, and, besides... Being Master Wizard had nothing to do with physical strength, so she had faced fewer challenges than Lenolora would have. And being Master Wizard didn't involve having a pure bloodline, where males were thought to carry the "gene" for leadership and women weren't. So she had faced less trouble than Princess Seraphia might.

And with those struggles, she didn't doubt Viegald's unity would crumble with time, anyways. The king could make his move then. So why? Was the man so impatient he sought to elliminate those he saw as threats, without regard to the fury he would unleash, both at home and abroad?

If the plot to kill Yue actually did go through, Lenolora would tear down the palace and kill those in it with her bare hands in revenge if she had to. But she really didn't want to go to all that trouble. Better to keep Yue from dying in the first place.

She sat down to write a letter.

Note: Yes! I finally wrote a long chapter! I'll update soon so I don't leave everybody hanging in suspense.


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer: I do not own Magical X Miracle

Note: Okay, end of cliffhanger here... Also, I apologize for any spelling errors in previous chapters. Since I mix and match US and UK spellings, never mind the proper nouns, the language detect feature on my spellchecker got confused and labeled the language I write in as "unknown" and refused to check spelling. I'll properly check the old documents soon, don't worry.

Yue looked around the remains of his office, surveying the damage that had been done. He knew he was fortunate he had survived with only minor injuries, and it was even more fortunate that no one else had been in his office when the bomb had gone off. Which was just as he had planned; he had dismissed Lecto and Grady early for the day and made sure he had cast as strong of a protective barrier around himself as he could manage, on the off chance Lenolora's letter was truthful.

Yes, he would have been happier (and less bruised) if he had vacated his office for a while and let security take care of it, but if the letter had been a hoax, or if he had made an error in identifying or deciphering the code... well, he wasn't going to take the chance. Beyond the embarrassment of seemingly jumping at shadows, if anyone found out he was in contact with General Lenolora, and had actually followed her advice, he didn't doubt he'd find himself in hot water.

Still, he had managed to come out of the ordeal relatively unharmed. He had a few minor burns, cuts, and bruises, and he was sore and a bit dizzy, but he knew he would be fine. His injuries would in no way affect his ability to do what he wanted, and would probably even stop hurting after a few hours.

His office, on the other hand, had borne the full force of the explosion. The wall nearest his desk (under which the bomb had been hid) had collapsed, blown outwards into the next room by the force of the explosion. Yue was glad the room in question was unoccupied. The glass in the windows had shattered. Some of the floor around his desk had caved in. The glass in the picture frames on the wall had shattered. The glass lamp had shattered. The bookcase had been tipped over, its singed and torn contents littered on the floor.

Looking around the room, Yue saw much work to be done. Many of the books and documents would have to be rewritten. He was not looking forward to that chore. He could temporarily relocate his office while the room he was in was being rebuilt, but...

Yue was thankful his window faced the courtyard. Otherwise, the people of the city might have noticed a flash and a window blowing out, and that would undoubtedly spark chaos. As it was, he probably had half the palace worried, but dealing with the two hundred or so people in the palace was not as hard as facing the thousands in the city.

Still, between his regular work, salvaging what he could, and reassuring those in the palace, Yue would have his work cut out for him. Luckily for him, Lenolora had provided him with all the information he needed on the plot in her letter, although he would have to double-check everything, both for consistency and to create the illusion he didn't have his own spy, albeit one he never actually asked for the help of. Things were going to be harder, since his friends would probably panic and nag him not to work too long or too hard, assuming he was hurt worse than he actually was.

He decided his first priority would be to go after Agros. He had wanted to be cautious when dealing with he older man, even though he had indirectly injured Merleawe. Yes, Yue cared about Merleawe, almost as if she were his daughter, but he had felt he could protect her from another, very unlikely attack in the time it would take for him to think up a decent plan for going after Agros. Yes, Yue could keep blackmailing Agros, this time about the attack on Merleawe as well as the embezzlement scandal. But Agros had, once again, enabled an attack, this time on him. And it wasn't just him; if Yue hadn't been alerted by Lenolora beforehand, Lecto and Grady would have been killed, as well. He couldn't let anyone else in the palace be put in such great danger; if Agros had been willing to accept Grady and Lecto as possible collateral damage, how many others would he endanger? But from what he had heard from Lenolora, Agros was just blindly carrying out the orders of the King of Caldia. But Yue didn't trust Lenolora completely, and he knew Agros to be fairly intelligent. Still, whomever had come up with the final plan had been reckless, and Yue had to take out one of the links in the chain to help preserve the safety of those in the palace.

Unlike Merleawe, Yue didn't care too much about the _lives_ of the people in the palace - well, he did, but that wasn't his primary concern. He cared about the possible complications that might stem from the deaths of several palace employees. And Viegald needed a sense of safety and stability more than anything in the world, so the nation could stop being so scared silly of war and move on, to increase trade and quality of life of the inhabitants.

"Sir! Are you all right?" Someone asked, and Yue looked over to see one of the guards, standing in the doorway. Yue sighed, then stood up, and noticed something he felt he should have noticed earlier - if part of the floor had caved in, it was possible that the rest of the floor was no longer stable enough to be walked upon. And since the collapsed portion of the floor was so close to the entrance of the room...

"I'm fine." Yue said, glancing at the hole in the floor. "But I'm afraid I'm stuck here for now; I don't trust the floor." He sighed. _Of all the ridiculous things that could have happened, am I truly stuck in my own office?_ He had hoped to plan ahead to avoid embarrassment, but he hadn't foreseen this.

Note: Don't worry, I won't torture Yue any more.

...

Well, it doesn't get any worse than this, at least. If it did, I'd have to change the genre to Hurt/Comfort.


	12. Chapter 12

Disclaimer: I do not own

Note: Chapter 12...

Merleawe was frustrated. She had understood the reasoning behind the plot to kill her. She was, after all, a high-value target, and very important to the functioning of the country. Of course the King of Caldia, driven by the desire for more land, would want her to die to set Viegald at unease. She was frustrated that she had been betrayed by a member of the Council, but she could accept that. She could live with it; she could change that. Of course there would be people who didn't like her.

But she didn't completely understand why Yue had been targeted. Yue had said it himself; he kept his head low, and didn't do much of anything worth mentioning besides his job. Merleawe could understand how the King of Caldia would feel Yue was a threat because he jeopardized General Lenolora's loyalty to the country, but wouldn't he also have realized that General Lenolora would probably desert if the king had actually planned to kill Yue? Yes, the king could _manipulate_ General Lenolora by _threatening_ to hurt Yue if General Lenolora "misbehaved," but there was no use in killing him outright, was there?

But then, Merleawe knew she was probably overreacting. Yue could take care of himself; he could find out why he had been targeted and reason through what had happened, if he so desired. Merleawe had her own troubles to deal with. Namely...

"Merleawe." Yue spoke up, and Merleawe turned to him, sitting at the conference room table, holding a cup of tea that Merleawe knew Glenn had all but forced into his hand. Merleawe knew Glenn was very worried about Yue; knowing as well as she did that blast injuries could be tricky, and some types of internal injury caused by shock waves took days to manifest fully, and could cause life-threatening complications; but Merleawe also knew that Yue had been warned ahead of time and would have had time to cast barriers to protect himself, minimizing injury, and probably leaving him without any major complications, so she wasn't too worried. "How are we going to deal with Agros?"

"Yue, you're certain we should?" Merleawe asked, then realized that Yue was probably sore, and, if so, he was probably crankier than usual and therefore less apt to think things through fully. "But, didn't you say it was risky, calling out a spy?"

"This nonsense has gone on long enough. We need to break some link in the chain from Caldia before someone actually does get killed. And Agros seems to be the only consistent member of the chain that I actually have the means and reason to go after. The only question is; how do we approach him? At the Council meeting? Shall I inform him myself? Should we call a private meeting? Should we first notify the King?"

"Addressing the issue in the Council is begging for trouble from the other five ministers. I don't want you going after him yourself; you might get hurt. A private meeting would make him suspicious. And I don't see any downsides to first informing the King, except..." Merleawe thought for a while. "... He has enough things to worry about."

"Don't we all?" Yue asked wearily. "This is a matter of national security. His Majesty has the right to know what is going on. I suppose we will contact the King about Agros, then."

Note: I'm starting to have my doubts about this fic; writing it has become more of a chore than a joy. But maybe that's because it's my third chapter of the day and I'm too tired to even get up and go somewhere with internet access to publish it. Or maybe it's because chapter 13 is coming up. Whichever way, though, I'll keep going.


	13. Chapter 13 Caldia

Disclaimer: I do not own Magical X Miracle

Note: 13 is an unlucky number... for Lenolora, at least

Lenolora paced around her bedroom some more. She was surprised that, after two months of pacing, her floor hadn't worn through. Two months! Her period of house arrest was almost over; all she needed was a note from the King saying she was free to resume her normal activities. But to her, that seemed the least of her worries.

She wasn't sure if her letter to Yue had arrived in time. And, unlike with Merleawe, Yue didn't quite so often appear in public, and there weren't entire newspapers dedicated to him. Finding news about him, four days of traveling away, was almost impossible. But, then, she reasoned, Yue _was_ important enough that, had he died and Viegald actually chose to reveal that information, there _would_ be an article about it in some major publication. And, in that case, no news was good news.

But then, Lenolora was completely ignorant to the news she had awaited, being discussed indirectly on the floor below. She was so lost in thought, she didn't notice that, in the room below hers and one to the west, the King of Caldia was complaining to one of his advisers that Agros, his inside man, had been impeached on accounts of his involvement in an embezzlement scandal. He had mentioned, although Lenolora did not hear, that if only those crafty wizards had died like they should have, this wouldn't have been happening. But, then, "those crafty wizards" was too vague for the conversation to pique Lenolora's interest. Still, the implication that one or more of Viegald's wizards the king had actually heard of should have died _could_ have been enough to clue Lenolora in to the fact that the King was discussing none other than Merleawe and Yue.

Of course, impeachment didn't necessarily mean Agros would be forced to resign, but it did mean that he would be under much closer scrutiny, and it would be difficult for him to do any more work for the King of Caldia.

As for the service Lenolora was doing Viegald, the king _had_ noticed, she was certain of that, but hadn't said anything. But, since no one else seemed to be in danger, she had no reason to write a letter. Yes, she could have written a simple "how are you doing?" letter to Yue, but, if she left that particular message unencrypted, after two letters with hidden messages, Yue would drive himself mad trying to find a nonexistent code. Sometimes that man just didn't know when to give up. But then, Lenolora reminded herself, it wasn't like she was much better in that particular regard. They were both stubborn; that was probably part of the reason they tended to squabble so much. Neither would admit to being wrong unless he or she was _certain_ he or she was wrong.

So Lenolora paced some more, trying her best not to grow anxious. Perhaps her punishment for communicating with the enemy was to sit and rot in her room, with no set date of release, the old two-month mark just to make her more anxious as she _felt_ she should have been released long ago. She wouldn't stand for that insult; she would escape if that were the case. Her door was guarded, and her room was on the third story, but she could easily find ways around these things.

Presently, she heard a knock at the door, and turned to face the door, wondering who it could be. It couldn't be a servant bringing one of her meals; after all, it was three in the evening. She _hoped_ it was someone informing her she was free to go, but she doubted it.

Surprising even her, when the door opened, the Queen of Caldia stood in her doorway. Half out of shock, and half out of respect, Lenolora sank to her knees in a bow.

"You do realize most women curtsy?" The queen asked, closing the door behind her.

"Of course, Your Majesty." Lenolora replied, not getting up for fear of offending the queen, who sighed irritably.

"Anyhow. You needn't continue bowing. Get to your feet, Lenolora." The queen said, and Lenolora promptly obeyed. "I am here about my husband, the King." There was a moment of silence before the queen continued. "I believe we all know of his feelings for you. I have decided that this must come to an end, one way or the other." She said, and Lenolora wondered just what her fate would be. "I suppose, ordinarily, to protect my standing as queen, I would have you executed on some contrived charge, but I am no heartless monarch, and, since you have that wizard of yours and my husband's desire for you is one-sided... well, I don't suppose my husband will pine over you so much if you're eighty miles away." The queen said, and Lenolora, for an instant, dared hope. The capitol of Viegald was eighty miles away... "Some might say I haven't the authority to do this, but I have enough people loyal to me, and my husband ought to remember his wedding vows once you're out of the area of his immediate control, and will probably agree with my decision. Since your period of house arrest is over, Lenolora, I am free to say this.

"You are exiled from Caldia, and stripped of the titles you have held here. When you leave, you may take with you your horse, and whatever belongings you and your horse can carry and still be out of the country within three days. If you are found within Caldia's borders after those three days are over, you will be sentenced to death. I'm assuming you'll run to Viegald; I won't stop you. I trust you have no objections?"

"None at all, Your Majesty." Lenolora said. She was a bit stung by the abruptness of it all, but considering the alternatives, exile with permission to go to Viegald was probably the best possible option.

"Good. Then set out as soon as you are ready." The queen said, then walked out of the room, closing the door behind her.

Note: That was pretty sudden, I'll admit it, and doesn't make much sense, but the original series is fairly idealistic, and keeping with that spirit, I suppose this isn't too far-fetched. I'm getting ready to wrap up this story. It's been fun.


	14. Chapter 14

Disclaimer: I do not own Magical X Miracle

Note: Final chapter...

"You can let go of me now." Yue told Lenolora, but she did not so much as loosen her grip on him. Yue sighed, or as well as he could, since it was hard to breathe with Lenolora squeezing him. She was strong, but he wasn't going to admit that she was hurting him. He had his pride.

He was inclined to yell at her for having just run up and embraced him as soon as she saw him, but then, he knew he wasn't going to have any luck with getting her to listen to him. He owed her, after all, since she had as good as saved his life. But didn't she realize there were people watching!

But, then, Yue was used to that. With the exception of Merleawe, a recent addition, few of his friends seemed to care much about the repercussions of what they did. Which was why he had to worry for them. He supposed he would be worrying for Lenolora now, too, since she _had_ been exiled from Caldia, and the King of Viegald _had_ decided she could remain in Viegald... and because of her military abilities and knowledge of Caldia, Yue knew she could be a great help if there ever was a war between Viegald and Caldia. And since he imagined, like it was with Vaith, it would be Yue's duty to inform her of the situations she would be facing.

For example, the majority of Viegald's court attempting, with varying degrees of success, refrain from laughing. This was part of the reason Yue was so nervous; he hated being the center of attention. Especially when the attention involved silliness.

Still, if he could get through the rest of the day without dying of embarrassment, he supposed everything would turn out for the better. After all, a tension-filled stalemate could drag on for decades without progressing into all-out war, and even if it did, with Vaith, Merleawe, and now Lenolora all on Viegald's side, Yue imagined his beloved country would at least stand a fighting chance, especially since he had one less worry now that Agros was doing time for his part in the embezzlement scandal. Yue and Merleawe had informed the king of Agros' treason, but they had all agreed it was too risky to publicly accuse him of such. Instead, although Agros was _informed_ his true crime was treason, for the sake of the unity of the nation, he was being persecuted for embezzlement and perjury.

Besides, he could get used to having Lenolora around, as long as she didn't distract him too much from his work. She could be annoying, dragging him into arguments at the most inopportune of times, but, deep down, he liked it when she was around. It was nice to have someone familiar to talk to.

Being around someone who seemed fixated on him would take some getting used to. He didn't doubt he would someday either be pressured into marrying her or forced into breaking her heart, but he would decide when that day came. In the meantime, he was more concerned about not being bested by her when it came to banter, though he'd have to make sure to remind himself to keep focused on his work.

But he supposed, embarrassment aside, being hugged didn't feel all that bad.

Merleawe smiled to herself. She had been surprised when, as soon as the King of Viegald had granted her plea to remain in Viegald, Lenolora had dashed over to and hugged Yue, but, then, she hadn't seen him in a while. And Merleawe realized that Lenolora was probably surprised to see him alive and unharmed, since she didn't doubt Yue hadn't bothered explaining to her that he had gotten her message about the bomb.

She had been even more surprised when Yue hadn't yelled at Lenolora. Yue was usually sensitive about his personal space. She supposed Yue really did like Lenolora, deep down. And she was sure everything would turn out well. Merleawe was there. She would work to protect Viegald, and she could do so with a glad heart, knowing that other issues had already been resolved.

Agros was doing his time, and wouldn't endanger anyone else. Merleawe doubted the King of Caldia would just sit still and let things unfold, but, by the sounds of it, the king had found himself in hot water with his wife, who was now doing more of the running of the country than he was, and she seemed to have little interest in going after Viegald; she seemed more interested in maximizing the efficiency of Caldia's farmland to support their growing population, rather than reaching to other countries for more. After all, Caldia's harsh taxes on farmers tended to make sustaining the food sources fairly difficult.

And if Caldia effectively had a ruling queen, then some of the sexism, even in Viegald, would probably start to dissipate. Besides, aside from Minister Diplomas, Minister Agros had been Merleawe's main dissenter, anyways. And even Minister Diplomas had let up, now that Merleawe had decided to accept Fern as her body double. She would just work hard to not be in danger in the first place, so Fern wouldn't have to be in danger, either. And since then, Fern had seemed at ease.

"Yep, I knew this was going to get interesting...!" Vaith laughed, and Merleawe turned to him, smiling as well, but noticed that Vaith looked a little bit bitter.

"You're not going to let Yue have her that easily?" Merleawe challenged, and Vaith shook his head, still smiling.

"No, I'm just wondering why I can't express my feelings for the person I care about that freely." Vaith said. Merleawe, for some reason, didn't particularly feel like asking Vaith who it was he cared about. No sense letting love get in the way of work.

THE END

Note: Well, I guess that's the end. There were just a few issues left at the end of the series that I wanted to clear up, and I think I took care of most of them. But, then, the difference between peril and peace, from a political standpoint, seems to be more of a matter of attitude than anything else. I guess, someone else, looking at the few loose ends I've left, could make a big deal out of them, too.

Maybe I'll write a sequel, maybe not.


End file.
